Dog dresser Justin Hawkins

The Darkness frontman managed to overcame his drug and alcohol problems in 2006 and it now completely clean and sober and has diverted his attention to a much tamer hobby – photographing his pet pooch in various scenarios.

When asked about how he now fills his spare time, Justin replied: ‘’Now I’m professional? I play tennis when I can, but mostly I like taking pictures of my dog – in different scenarios, wearing different costumes. She’s a griffon Bruxellois. Bigger than a Chihuahua, a terrior-sized dog. A big like a pug with longer legs.’’

The Darkness’ new album, ‘Hot Cakes’, has been a hit, and he’s thrilled about the band’s success globally.

He added to Classic Rock magazine: ‘’In the current climate the album’s doing very well. It achieved the highest chart position of any Darkness album in Germany, in the US, in Australia … The list is, well, it’s not endless. It has an end, I just don’t know where.

‘’And I’m not sure that ‘hot cakes’ is an expression that translates. A Spanish journalist asked me if it meant piles of cocaine.’’